Steel wool cleaner



1 934. FRIEDMAN STEEL WOOL CLEANER Filed Dec. 8, 1932 NVENTOR PatentedDec. 4, 1934 swear. WOOL enema Louis Friedman, Brooklyn, N. Y.Application December a, 1932,- Serial No. 040,221

9 Claims.

This invention relates to cleaners and has among its objects theprovision of a device of this character having an improved steel woolpad so constructed as to be adapted for increased efliciency in use andfor a relatively long period of life, and for cleaning in comers or thelike.

Another object is to furnish a device of the nature set forth havingimproved means for supplying a soluble cleaning material to a steel wool10 Dad.

Another object of this invention is the provision-of a cleaning devicehaving a steel wool pad and improved means for holding the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide a steel wool pad havingelements therein for their preferred embodiments, pointedout in thesubjoined claims, and illustrated on the annexed drawing, wherein likeparts are designated by the same reference characters throughout theseveral views.

In the drawing: 'Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of a deviceembodying the invention.

' Fig. 2 is a plan view of a steel wool pad embodying the invention.

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section of a modification of the invention,on line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a viewin side elevation thereof. Fig. 5 is a top view of thepad thereof. The advantages of the invention as here cute lined'are bestrealized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined inone and the same structure, but, useful devices may be 5 cludes a steelwool pad 11 and a suitable means such as 12a for conveniently grippingand holding the same. The pad ll may be formed of steel wool sheetingwhich is stitched along one or more lines so as to hold together thestrands of the steel wool. Preferably a plurality of spaced lines ofstitching 12 are provided extending in one direction and a plurality ofspaced lines of stitching '13 extending in a different direction so thatthe different lines of stitching intersect each other at points 14. Inthis manner the strands of the steel wool are held together reliablysubstantially throughout the pad and with increased strength at thepoints 14. These lines of stitching may bev formed of thread of anysuitable material such as metal, fiber, or the like. Preferably ordinarycotton thread that is relatively heavy can be used with a sewing machineproperly adjusted and designed so as to prevent cutting of the threadand accumulation of steel wool particles in the shuttle mechanism. Ingeneral;

stitching will have a requisite degree of flexibility g5,

and resilience so'that the pad can be readily formed into any desiredshape as shown. inFig.

1 and sothat the pad is yielding and compressible whereby it willreadilyfollow any irregularities in the surface that is to be cleaned. Ifincreased I resilience or-flexibility is desired, a quantity of asuitable vegetable fiber may be added=to the steel wool, which fiber maybe cotton or the like,

the steel wool andwill'also aid in the retention of soap or othersoluble cleaning material by the pad 11.

It will be understood that while the steel wool pad is preferably heldtogether by lines of stitching as shown, it is also possible to useother securing or fastening means at different points spaced along thepad.

The holding means 12 may according to one possible embodiment thereof,include an outer cup member 16 having a bottom wall 1'7 of any nosuitable and preferably outwardly convexed shape, and a cylindrical sidewall 18.. The inner cup member 19 may have a top wall 20 and acylindrical side wall 21 of smaller diameter or size than the wall 18.The inner cup member may also be provided with a holding means such as ahandle 22 that may be centrally connected to the wall 20 as by a screw23.

The pad 11 lies closely along the wall 1'1 and extends around the sidewall 18, being thence folded inward at 24 so as to'lie on the inside ofthe wall 18 as shown at 25. This infolded portion 25 of the pad issnugly compressed between the smooth and uniform throughout.

walls 18 and 21 of the cup members so as to cause a frictionalengagement therebetween. this engagement being supplemented bythecutting action of the steel wool so as to strongly grip the adjacentsurfaces of the cylindrical relatively soft metal walls and assureadequate retention of the cup member 19 in the cup' member 16. It isthus unnecessary to have any beads or offsets in these surfaces, butthe-same may be entirely This together with the fact that the infoldedportion 25 is also stitched produces a perfectly reliable grippingaction and facilitates the assembling of the parts and replacement ofthe pad 11 when the same is worn out. For replacement of the pad 11, thelatter may be prepared as a unit with the outer cup member 16 and soldas such so that it is merely necessary to insert the inner cup memberinto position as shown in Fig. 1. The stitched steel wool cup hassufficient strengtlrand coherence to be self retained on the outer cupmember for ordinary handling and even use.

The inner and outer cup members 19 and 16 may face each other so as toform an enclosure for.receiving a body of soluble cleaning material suchas a cake of soap 26. In order to render the same accessible to thesteel wool, the wall 17 may be perforated as at 27. These perforationsmay be sufiicient in number and in size, and the wall 1'7 may besufficiently thin so as to render the same flexible if desired, wherebyaccommodation is readily obtained for any irregularities in a surfacethat is to be cleaned.

In practice, water will soak through the steel wool pad and pass-throughtheperforations 'so as to reach the cake of soap 26 for graduallydissolving the same. After having been used for a little while, thesteel wool pad becomes fairly saturated with soap so that the latter isquickly available in any subsequent cleaning operations. The operatormay grasp the handle 22 and strongly rub the steel wool pad 11 along asurface that is to be cleaned, the stitching holding together thestrands of steel wool which would otherwise become quickly dissipatedand the stitching also increases the strength of the steel wool padalong the plane thereof whereby distortion and undue expansion of thesame is prevented.

In Figs. 3 to 5 is shown a modification of the invention including acleaning device 28, the

same having a steel wool pad 29 embodying the principles of the steelwool pad 11,-but constructed somewhat differently therefrom. The pad 29may include a layer or sheet of steel wool stitched edge of the cleaningelement downward as shown tangular shape as shown. .The upper ms edgeportions thereof may be infolded at 34 and stitched as shown at 35, andother free edges may also be infolded and stitched in a similar mannerso as to'produce a requisite degree of smoothness in the device. Thelatter may be provided with an upward projecting portion between thefolds thereof whereby the cleaning element may be gripped and held andwithout exposure of any part of the gripping means. More specifically,the member 31 provides a pocket 36 between the fold portions 32. Afiller element 37 which may also consist of steel wool may be disposedalong this pocket. The filler element may consist of a sheet of steelwool stitched at .38 and folded at 39 to provide a pair of fold portions-40. A line of stitching 41 may extend through the fold portions 32 and40 or other connecting means may be used-for interengaging. the parts asa permanent unit. The filler member 37 serves to add substantial bodyand stiffness to the cleaning element without detracting materially fromthe re ilience or flexibility thereof. The end portionspf the cleaningelement may be stitched throughas shown at 42 to further interengage themember 31 and the filler. In order to provide an opening ofcomparatively limited size for the pocket 36, lines of stitching may bemade at 43 from the upper at 44. It will be noted that since variousparts of the cleaning element have individual .lines of stitching, abreakage in any one line of stitching will not materially effect thestrength of the cleaning element as a whole.

One form of holding implement for the cleaning element 29 may include asuitable means for entering the pocket 36 and gripping a portion of thefiller that projects toward the opening of said pocket. Preferably thisimplement may have a handle 45 having a chamber 46 to constitute aliquid reservoir for cleaning material such as liquid soap. Extendingcentrally from the lower end of the handle and in communication withthe'reservoir is a tube 47 whose lower end may be constricted or taperedas shown at 48 to provide a nozzle which is adapted to enter the openingof the pocket 36. A pair of arms 49 disposed on opposite sides of thetube 47 are secured to the lower end of the handle and extendssubstantially divergently downward to enter into said pocket on oppositesides of the upperportion of the annular strip. The lower ends of thearms 49 may be flanged toward each other at 50, these flanges beingroughened or serrated as may be desired. A collar 51 is slidable alongthe arms 49 so as to press the same'toward each other and into grippingposition.

The upper end of the handle may have a closure plate 52 formed with acentral opening 135, 53 through which slldably extends a rod 54 thatconstitutes a plunger for entering the tube 47.

A valve portion 55 may be provided on the rod for seating on the end ofthe tube 47 in order to close the same. The rod 54 may also extend 140through a guide 56 for centering the same with the tube 47. A stopelement 57 limits the upward movement of the rod 54. The latter may bemanipulated by a head 58 positioned at the end of the handle. Forfilling the reservoir 46, 1.45 openings 59 and 60 may be providedrespectively in members 58 and 52, these openings being adapted to bealigned and'to be movable out of registry with each other by rotation ofthe head In practice, the resilient arms 49 may be slightly pressedtogether to enter into the pocket 36 of the cleaning element on oppositesi' es of the filler member 37, this being facilita, ed by thecomparatively smooth narrow upper/fold portion 39 of the filler. Thenthe collar 51 isslid downward, thereby moving the arms further towardeach other to reliably grip the filler. The reservoir 46 may now befilled with the liquid soap through openings 59 and 60 and the head 58turned so as to close the reservoir. If a discharge of liquid soap isdesired in the cleaning element 29, the head 58 is grasped and movedupward so as tocause the plunger and valve 55 to open the tube 47 andpermit a downward flow of the cleaning fluid into the pocket 36 where itis properly distributed to different parts of the cleaning element. Ifthe end portions 61 of the arms 49 are elongated as shown, they mayconstitute a reenforcement for the steel wool cleaning element, whilethe end portions of the latter may possess their required degree offlexibility.

The portions 61 may be somewhat smaller than the opening of pocket 36.

Handle 45 may have a reenforcing ferrule 62.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may bemade in the device as shown in the drawing, and that the same issubmitted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense, the scope ofthe invention being defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device including a pad consisting of a sheet of steel wool stitchedthrough along a plurality of spaced lines to hold together the strandsof the steel wool, said pad having portions folded upon each other andsecured together to form a pocket and an opening therefor between thefold 9 portions, and a steel wool flller strip in the-pocket remote fromsaid opening and interconnected with the fold portions.

2. A device including a pad consisting of a sheet of steel wool stitchedthrough along a plurality of spaced lines to hold together the strandsof the steel wool, said pad having portions folded upon each other and asteel wool flller strip positioned between the fold portions, the latterand the filler strip being secured together at spaced points. v r

3. A device including a pad consisting of a sheet of steel wool stitchedthrough along a plurality of spaced lines to hold together the strandsof the steel wool, said padhaving portions folded upon each other, andsecured together to form a pocket and an opening therefor between thefold portions, a steel wool flller strip in the pocket remote from saidopening and interconnected with the fold portions, and a holding meanshaving a holder therefor, the holder having an angular portion, and thepad having a section adapted to be engaged by the holder for maintainingthe pad thereon, and a second section extending around the angularportion of the holder so as to provide an angular pad portion adaptedfor cleaning in corners, the pad consisting of a homogeneous mass ofsteel wool and having stitching therethrough for holding together thestrands of the steel wool, the stitching extending along said sectionsfor reenforcing the holding engagement and for preventing disruption ofthe pad at the angular portion thereof.

5. A device including a holder having an angu-' lar portion, apad havinga section secured to the holder and a second section extending over theangular holder portion with the latter acting as a backing to providean' angular pad portion for therethrough at the second section.

6. A device including a pad consisting of a sheet of steel wool stitchedthrough along a pinrality of spaced lines to hold together the strandsof the steel wool, said pad having portions overlying each other andsecured together to form a pocket and an opening therefor between theportions, and a filler strip in the pocket remote from said opening andinterconnected with the portions.

'7. A device including a pad consisting of a sheet of steel woolstitched through along a plurality of spaced lines to hold together thestrands of the steel wool, said pad having portions overlyingeach otherand a flller strip positioned between the fold portions, the latter andthe filler strip being secured together at spaced points.

8. A device including a pad consisting of a 7 sheet of steel woolstitched through along a plurality of spaced lines to hold together thestrands of the steel wool, said pad having portions overlying eachother, and secured together to form a pocket and an opening thereforbetween the portions, a filler strip in the pocket remote from saidopening and interconnected with the portions, and

, a holding meanshaving a plurality of jaws exits.

